DETROIT, MI -- U.S. Rep. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) introduced a bill Tuesday looking to secure federal funds for a customs plaza that would be built on the Detroit end of a new bridge to Windsor.

The Canadian government would pay the $2.1 billion construction bill for the North American International Trade Crossing, but that wouldn't include a federal customs plaza, and Peters proposed the Customs Plaza Construction Act of 2014 as the latest step in the long process of getting the bridge built.

“The Detroit-Windsor border is one of the busiest and most important trade crossings in North America, and a new bridge here will create thousands of jobs in Southeast Michigan," Peters said in a statement. "The project will make it easier for Michiganders and businesses in the region to trade with one of our most important trading partners in Canada. The new customs plaza is the critical next step for Michigan and our economy.”

"One of Michigan’s strongest assets is its position as the hub of the US-Canada trade relationship," said Gov. Rick Snyder in a statement supporting Peter's bill. "Investing in the infrastructure necessary to grow trade between the US and Canada will yield an incredible return through increased economic activity and will create thousands of good paying jobs for Americans.”